Part 10

                                    

                                          
"Live together?" You both ask in unison. 
"But why?" You ask.
"We're not even - " Jungkook says at the same time as you.
It's one of those mandatory Sundays and the morning had been spent finalizing the guest list and choosing suppliers for the party favors. Over late lunch, your parents bring up the topic of moving in together before the wedding, preferably in a few weeks' time (you reckon both your parents did a coin-toss on which side will be delivering the news, knowing there will be pushback on this one).
"Do our grandparents know?" Jungkook asks.
"Yes, they do. They were ecstatic at the idea. Seokjin did it, too" his dad says.
This rubs Jungkook the wrong way. "That desperate to make this work, huh? We're already getting married in 4 months. Unless it's a test to see if we can stand each other so we can avoid the messy divorce in case we can't?" he couldn't help but ask, anger laced in his voice. This earns him a glare from his mother and a "watch it" from his brother that you definitely hear.
"What he means is," you start, turning to Jungkook with a soft smile, "what's the rush in moving in together if we're getting married soon, anyway? Shouldn't we be focusing our attention on wedding planning?"
"It's just a suggestion, darling," your father says, "but one that we think is quite practical. You're getting married towards the end of the year, which is already a busy time for Jungkook, but much more during the first few months of next year, what with the expansion of their Japan office and the acquisition of Park Industries," he continues. "We're worried it might be too busy for him and also for you to handle the moving in and turning the house into a home after the wedding."
"Yeah, but we could wait after things settle down, then," Jungkook starts, his voice slowly cracking at the very displeased look of his father upon his suggestion of waiting it out before you two move in together. Clearly that doesn't seem like a good choice, even if it was an option in the first place.
It doesn't help that his brother pipes in. "Well you weren't here anymore when Yeri and I had to move in only after the wedding. It was pure chaos at home; I think our stuff were in boxes for months because we rushed it. Life went on right after so there was really no time to properly settle down."
Jungkook clenches his jaw, irritation blooming at his brother who once again isn't taking his side. 
"It was his advice to me that's why Mina and I got our place early and moved in before the big day," your brother now joins. "We knew we'd be too tired and too busy; we wanted to spend the free days we could have on our honeymoon instead of moving in."
"Well we can because we're not having a honeymoon," Jungkook says, more to himself but he doesn't care anymore if you hear it. 
He's clearly not too happy with this arrangement. He's already committing the rest of his life with you, someone he's not in love with, and the next few months will be his last few months of freedom and independence, months he's now being coerced to spend with you.  
Amidst the agreement from your sister and the recalling of the stress that she had to go through with moving in after the wedding, Jungkook turns to you, that calm smile plastered on your face again. You laugh along to what your sister is saying, seemingly unbothered. And this pisses him off too. How can you just take all this? How can you act normal? He's worn his heart on his sleeve once more, expressing his hesitation towards the proposal, and you sit there like the good girl that you are and now he's the bad guy again. 
You avoid looking at Jungkook for the rest of the afternoon, although you feel the displeased looks he gives you all day. You're not sure if it's the best idea, but the practicality appeals to you - you won't feel pressured to find a place immediately, you won't have to rush moving your entire apartment to a new one, and you'll have time to buy the right furniture and appliances to match the feel of the home. Like always, the uncertainty is really rooted in Jungkook, clearly unwelcoming of the idea.
A few days later, you find yourself in your brother's office after having lunch, a Kim siblings rendezvous taking place. They asked you over because they had time, which is rare, and should've been the giveaway that something was up, because not long after you've settled on the couch, the door opens to reveal Junghyun and Jungkook, the latter's face falling slightly at the sight of you.
You shrug this off, not minding as well that he hasn't spoken to you since last Sunday, but give him a smile anyway.
"Sibling intervention?" He asks, brow quirking up. 
"Yes, something we should've done years ago," Seokjin says, patting the younger man on the back. "Isn't it obvious just how much I want you to be my brother?" he continues, smiling sweetly. 
"Were you in on this plan this whole time?" Jungkook asks, irritation laced in his voice.
Seoyeon shrugs. "We just always thought it was a given, that you and ___ would eventually get together.  It took a while, but here we are," she says matter-of-factly. 
Jungkook bites the insides of his mouth to keep himself from blurting a very loud WHY would you think it was a given and he's glad he was able to keep that in.  
"Anyway, the real reason why you're both here is for us to convince you to consider the move. It's really practical and less stressful, trust me," your sister continues. "The wedding prep is lots of work and the wedding itself is tiring and it's just better to get this over with." She turns to Jungkook, knowing full well how hard-headed he can get. 
He's heard this too many times the past couple of days, what with his brother constantly barging in his office to come up with various reasons why it won't be so bad, Seokjin messaging him about it daily, and even his own friends spamming the group chat about it. 
They're banking on the practicality of it and the avoidance of his parents' constant nagging if he delays the inevitable. For Jungkook, it's about the other possibility - you could not be compatible, you could not work well together, it could come back and bite everyone's ass if it doesn't work out. At least there's that tiny bit of chance he could avoid the wedding altogether if it does become a disaster, a thought that makes him guilty for even thinking, hence why he doesn't share it with anyone else.     
With a deep breath and an exasperated tone, he finally gives in. "Yeah, fine whatever," he says. 
With eyes focused on the floor, Jungkook misses the triumphant looks on his and your siblings' faces, as well as the hopeful one on yours. "Get us a good agent, and we can check out places when I get back," he says.
"Oh, you're leaving?" you ask.
"Yeah, Japan with the guys this coming weekend. It's my last birthday as a single man, better make the most out of it," he responds. 
He doesn't miss the slightly nervous look you have on, your face expressing the words that you can't say, as you think about the bar incident that you convinced him didn't bother you. 
"Don't worry," is what he says to you to ease whatever doubts you have, which he understands is warranted. 
You trust him, you really do. "Okay," you genuinely smile. 
Jungkook bids everyone goodbye to head back to his office for a meeting, proceeding to send a message to his group chat with Jimin and Taehyung: Let's book later for Japan this weekend for my birthday, on me, which is received by a barrage of messages from the two of the list of things they'll eat, shop, and do.  
Not long after, you leave to head back to work as well and make a call on the way: "Hi, this is Kim ___. I'd like to cancel my dinner reservation for 2 on September 1st."